In Guruvayur, a dedication ceremony for the renovated elephant statue of Guruvayur Keshavan is being held on Sunday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The renovated elephant statue of Guruvayur Kesavan was inaugurated on Sunday. The ceremony was held around 9:15 am in the courtyard of Sreevalsam Guest House.
Devaswom Chairman VK Vijayan conducted the consecration and unveiled the plaque. Temple Tantri PC Dineshan Namboothirippad lit the ceremonial lamp. Devaswom board members, sculptor Elavally Nandan, Manikandan Nair and family who offered renovation work and devotees were present.
The Chairman also presented mementos to Mr. Nandan and Mr. Nair for their contributions to the restoration.
The renovation took almost three and a half months under Mr. Nandan’s leadership. Much of the original sculpture was dismantled and rebuilt.
Kesavan died on 2 December 1976 and the previous statue was installed on 23 November 1982. Since its installation, there has been criticism that the statue does not accurately capture Kesavan’s likeness. Damage to the statue prompted an attempted renovation in 2022, but the improved version again drew criticism for distortion. The board of devaswom then decided to completely rebuild the statue. Work began in the second week of August.
Published – 23 Nov 2025 20:45 IST
